Citizen Bulletin For April 23–29       

Good morning. Our highlights from this week include: Mayor Rahm Emanuel launched Chicago municipal identification card program despite fact-checker debunked claims by critics saying that this will lead to undocumented immigrants voting; Governor Bruce Rauner accepted the resignation of his Director of Veterans Affairs, the most recent flashpoint in the aftermath of a lethal legionella outbreak in the state-run Quincy Veterans’ Home; President Donald Trump terminated temporary protected status for nearly 9,000 Nepalese immigrants after the Trump administration determined Nepal had sufficiently recovered from the 2015 earthquake.
 

CHICAGO CITY GOVERNMENT

Alderman Leslie Hairston (5th Ward) ~ call your alderman! (773) 324-5555

• [No News]*

Alderman Willie Cochran (20th Ward) ~ call your alderman! (773) 955-5610    

• [No News]*

Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D) ~ call your mayor! (312) 744-3300

• Apr 23—Warned Democrats against talking about impeaching President Trump before having the legal basis to do so

• Apr 23—Began a sexual harassment awareness campaign with actor David Schwimmer

• Apr 25—Launched Chicago municipal identification card program despite fact-checker debunked claims by critics saying that this will lead to undocumented immigrants voting

COOK COUNTY BOARD

President Toni Preckwinkle ~ call your Cook County board president! (312) 603-6400

• Apr 26—Predicted no new “revenue” in the County’s budget for next year, implying that the Board’s failure to preserve her “revenue-raising” soda tax precluded future support for similar measures

• Apr 28—Proposed a settlement with Chief Circuit Court Judge Timothy Evans which would close “two small branch courthouses and a juvenile detention center building;” the measure is designed to reduce budget shortfalls following the repeal of the soda tax

ILLINOIS STATE GOVERNMENT

Representative Barbara Flynn Currie (D–District 25) ~ call your state rep! (773)-667-0550

• [No News]*

Senator Kwame Raoul (D–District 13) ~ call your state senator! (773) 363-1996

• Apr 26—Gained passage through the state senate for his bill to ban bump-stocks

• Apr 28—Urged lawmakers to re-approve an expiring law that requires police departments to keep statistics on the race of traffic stop targets

Governor Bruce Rauner (R–IL) ~ call your governor! (312)-814-2121

• Apr 26—Claimed that he secured commitments from foreign companies to bring jobs to Illinois during his Europe trip, but did not provide any specifics

• Apr 27—Accepted the resignation of his Director of Veterans Affairs, the most recent flashpoint in the aftermath of a lethal legionella outbreak in the state-run Quincy Veterans’ Home

U.S. FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

Representative Bobby Rush (D–IL1) ~ call your representative! (773) 779-2400

• Apr 27—Scrutinized the decisions of EPA Director Scott Pruitt to delay rules reducing lead levels in paint and drinking water, during a congressional hearing

Senator Tammy Duckworth (D–IL) ~ call your senator! (312) 886-3506

• Apr 25—Called on the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security to ensure that National Guard members receive pay after President Trump threatened to withhold funding

• Apr 26—Criticized Secretary of State Mike Pompeo shortly after he was confirmed by the senate

• Apr 27—Sent a letter, along with other congressional Democrats, to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, opposing the EPA’s re-write of the current climate plan

Senator Richard Durbin (D–IL) ~ call your senator! (312) 353-4952

• Apr 25—Continued to call on President Trump and congressional Republicans to support the bipartisan Dream Act to protect former DACA beneficiaries from deportation

• Apr 26—Introduced, along with Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), an updated DETER Act which denies visas to foreign agents found to have interfered in our elections

• Apr 27—Joined 14 members of the Senate Judiciary Committee in advancing a bill to protect Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in 2016 elections

President Donald Trump (R) ~ call your president! (202) 456-1414

• Apr 24—Extended the public health emergency declaration for opioid crisis

• Apr 27—Indicated that he was likely to extend steel and aluminum tariff before May 1st deadline. The tariff length will depend on progress each country has made in steel and aluminum trade talks

• Apr 28—Terminated temporary protected status for nearly 9,000 Nepalese immigrants after the Trump administration determined Nepal had sufficiently recovered from the 2015 earthquake

• Apr 29—Opted to re-write an Obama-era transgender rule, which previously banned discrimination in healthcare due to gender identity